Suddenly It Is Christmas!

Today was my first full day in Munich. It snowed last night so everything was very pretty when I woke up this morning. And very cold! Having spent so much time luxuriating in the sun on the Mediterranean, my train ride unfortunately brought me right into winter. The temperature hovered a little below freezing for most of the day. I was actually a little glad of the cold because I've been secretly (and not so secretly) resenting my heavy sweater because it takes up a lot of space in my bag. But I don't think my coat would be warm enough without some layering underneath so the sweater has proven its worth!

This morning, I decided to go to the main square in town and check out one of Munich's famed Christmas markets. When I arrived, I noticed that people were all lined up along one side of the square, facing the other side, so I joined them - I've learned quickly over the past several weeks that following the crowd may not be the best way to manage your whole life, but when you're somewhere new and don't know what's going on, it's usually the right decision. As it turns out, we were all waiting for the famed Munich glockenspiel, which only plays twice a day. I happened to be standing next to an American glockenspiel enthusiast (either that or he's just generally enthusiastic about everything). He provided expert narration for the video he was making as well as ordering his wife to just keep taking photographs lest the camera go to sleep. He narrated in the same style as every middle-aged American with a camcorder, i.e. clearly stating the date and location, commenting on the weather, and then stating obvious things about what's being taped.

Here's the glockenspiel:

[click on any picture to enlarge]

After the glockenspiel finished, I walked all around the market - both the one in the main square and another a few streets over.

Mostly the market made me want to purchase and then decorate a Christmas tree. There were so many different types of ornaments and it took a lot of restraint not to buy them all! (I deterred myself by imagining trying to clean shards of ornament out of my backpack.)

I learned how to master German fashion in two easy steps:

1. Obtain a black coat
2. Put on your black coat

You are fashionable! And could blend in perfectly with this crowd:

I also had a bratwurst for lunch. I have to admit, I'm actually struggling a little bit with the meat here. This morning at breakfast, there was a variety of cold meats available but it was all those weird salamis with stuff in them. The texture of the bratwurst was verrry subtly different than I'm used to and I didn't like it. (The mustard was EXCELLENT though). When I went to the grocery store later, their meat section was full of processed meats of all kinds and it actually turned my stomach a little bit. I have no idea why - I have historically been a fan of processed meat, in that I love hot dogs and sausage and pepperoni and salami and chorizo... but ugh, I felt nauseous through the rest of the grocery store until I got outside and got some fresh air.

Anyway. After I had seen all the Christmas tree ornaments in the world - as well as various "puppen", baked goods, candles, artwork, garlands, small glockenspiels, window hangings, and wreaths - I decided to head back towards my hostel. I stopped at the grocery for the above-mentioned trip and got some food to make dinner. I put all my clothes in the washing machine (which was exciting because you don't want to know how long it's been since my clothes were anything but hand washed) and went up to the kitchen to put my food away. I discovered a contingent of Germans and Australians making and decorating Christmas cookies and listening to Christmas songs! The Germans seem to have unparalleled enthusiasm for Christmas, and Australians are just enthusiastic about everything. This was intense decorating, complete with marzipan.

I hung out with them for a while, helping by adding sprinkles and taste testing various cookies. There were some star-shaped ones made with ground walnuts that were really good! I will have to find a similar recipe, or find out whose recipe it was. It was a cozy way to spend the end of the afternoon.

After eating dinner, I went out for a fun treat - HARRY POTTER. I found a theater which was showing it in English, so I took the S-bahn down to the theater. It was so good!! I really enjoyed it, although it makes me want to see the last one NOW.

I am back at the hostel now, getting ready for bed. I talked to reception at the hostel and added on some additional nights because so far I am liking Munich a lot. I have befriended the Australians in my room (different Australians than I was decorating cookies with), so I'm looking forward to some good times here! Sorry this entry was quite light on pictures - when I was taking pictures of the glockenspiel, the low battery light was flashing so I didn't take many today.